Hope to get into the fray soon..

[RiderFan]

Hopefully I will be joining the party sometime in mid to Late February.

I’ve been watching these builds with great interest. Timing is everything I suppose as the same week this build group got started, I had to uproot everything and move from Vancouver BC to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. And while I have been sitting in a mostly empty house (save for one futon, a TV with 6 channels (2 of them French), and a microwave) my workshop is sitting on the back of a truck someplace and isn’t due to arrive until early Feb.

So I’ve been modelling vicariously through you guys.

Does anyone have any idea how things like casting supplies (resin and rubber), Alclad paints, enamels and acrylics, etc.. hold up to -20c temps? I’m really hoping this stuff survives the trip because there’s simply no place around here to replace it.

I’ve found that the Fail is very strong with the hobby shops out here. I’m having difficulty sourcing even the most basic materials I had access to in Vancouver. I don’t understand the pricing out here that’s for sure. How is a 1:48 F-18 kit $40 at Imperial Hobbies in Vancouver priced at $90 in Halifax? I went into the “hobby shop†just outside of bridgewater and it was literally 2 shelves of Revell kits (he only stocked Revell), a small rack of testers ¼ oz bottle paint, 3 packs of testers white plastic brushes, and testers red tube glue. I asked him about Alclad II paints and he looked at me like I had lobsters coming out my ears.

Well, Spruebothers and Hannants will be happy though as I guess I now have to go through them.

Anyway, that’s my “I’m-tired-of-sitting-idle-on-the-couch-when-I-could-be-modelling†rant. I’ve got a moving truck full of kits that would work well for the group..hope to be able to get into the fray some time soon.

David

Edited January 26, 2011 by RiderFan

[Quiddy]

Welcome to the Maritimes David, a lot of us that live at this end of the world feel your pain!! There is a contest if you are interested at the Shearwater Museum April 2, 2011 and there is another one in Fredericton the last weekend of May. We would like to see you out to them. Also there is a local forum for Maritimers...http://maritimemodellers.com/forums/

Wayne

Edited January 26, 2011 by Quiddy

[ALF18]

David

If it makes you feel any better, the situation here in the Saguenay is even worse for supplies. The local toy store has about 25 hugely overpriced kits, and a rack of Tamiya acrylics. Last weekend, we drove to Quebec City for the day, and I discovered a hobby shop (Passe-temps 3000) with a great selection of kits, but astronomical prices. We're talking $150 for a 1/48 Italeri Hercules, and $219 for a 1/32 Academy Hornet.

I order my paints through my local toy store - they're very good about it, but I have to order 6 bottles of any one colour. Works OK for FS 36375 and others that I need big quantitites of, but not so good when I need one bottle of radome tan.

I order kits from Lucky Model, and sometimes HobbyBuy - they are both ARC advertisers, and the prices are very good even after the shipping is paid for.

There's a good bunch of 'timers down there - I'm sure they'll take good care of you.

I can't wait for you to get set up - Hopefully you'll have time to get into the fun of this GB, and I'm still waiting patiently for those 1/32 CF-104 natural metal scheme decals...

ALF

[RiderFan]

and I'm still waiting patiently for those 1/32 CF-104 natural metal scheme decals... :)

ALF

So am I!

This is getting nuts. The guy doing the run and I had spoken quite a lot leading up to Christmas, then I gave him the final art which he said would work fine. Then just before Christmas he said he was running a bit behind but would send me a quote for the work right away. I've followed up via email twice but he's gone completely dark. I figure I'm going to need to find a new printer for these decals which is a shame because his commerical decals are quite good.

Very annoying as at least he was in Canada and so understood the material.

[Charlie Cheetah]

Welcome to the Maritimes David, a lot of us that live at this end of the world feel your pain!! There is a contest if you are interested at the Shearwater Museum April 2, 2011 and there is another one in Fredericton the last weekend of May. We would like to see you out to them. Also there is a local forum for Maritimers...http://maritimemodellers.com/forums/

Wayne

Gday David, welcome to the East Coast. Im sure your geting pelted with heavy rain at the moment while a few hours north, were expecting about 30-35 cms of the fresh white stuff.

Just to echo what Wayne said, despite the lack of good hobby shops in the region, there is a stong modeling community, which you'll see first hand if you go to the Shearwater Hobby Show. Lots of great vendors there too, and plenty of deals to be had. Great way to meet other modelers too. There are a few clubs in your region too, the Halifax Military Modelers Group and the Annapolis Valley Modellers society. You should be able to get in tough with both of these clubs over at maritimemodellers.com.

Besides purchasing what I can from the vendors at the hobby shows, I tend to do much online shopping from Elm City Hobbies in Fredericton who carry a good variety of kits, accesories, paints and scratchbuilding supplies. I order more specific stuff from spruebrothers.com. Then there are my favorite plastic pushers here at ARC like Dong and his henchmen from the Canadian Model Mafia and Ironman.

If I remember correctly, there is a decent selection of kits at the CFB Greenwood Aviation Museum, never been there though, I know for a fact that the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum near the Halifax Airport has a nice little shop. Another nice shop in the Halifax area is Nautilus Hobbies on Quinpool rd (accross from the Canadian Tire and Liquor Store).

Anyways, were a good buch down here, always up to sharing a good chat over a Keiths or large Timmies coffee. Hope to meet at the Shearwater show.

ps: Thanks for the heads up about the shop near Bridgewater, I was gonna look that one up siomeday if ever I was in the area, I wont bother now.

[RiderFan]

If I remember correctly, there is a decent selection of kits at the CFB Greenwood Aviation Museum, never been there though, I know for a fact that the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum near the Halifax Airport has a nice little shop. Another nice shop in the Halifax area is Nautilus Hobbies on Quinpool rd (across from the Canadian Tire and Liquor Store).

Oh. My. God!

http://www.nautilusaquatichobbies.com/

Wow.. as a Scuba Diver (I used to teach scuba diving when I lived out in Vancouver) and modeller, this seems to be the most. Perfect. Store. Ever.

I'll have to take a scoot into Halifax on Saturday and check it out. There used to be a dive shop in Lunenburg but he's closed down. So now it seems if I want a charter to the HMCS Saguenay (an artificial reef of an older Navy destroyer outside of Lunenburg Harbour), I'll have to drive to Halifax, then drive all the way back home to do the actual dive.

There's a shop in Windsor NS too (about an hour-ish away) but I've heard mixed things about that place.

thanks

David

[dogsbody]

What would cause you to move from Vancouver to Lunenburg? Most of us go the other way. I left Windsor, Nova Scotia for the balmy climes of Northern Alberta in 1980.

It's got to be either love or money.

Chris

[MaxHeadroom]

Welcome to the Best Coast! My people originate from Lunenburg.

Nothing like sitting on the wharf next to the Bluenose, drinking a Keiths and watching the sunrise. (God i wish I was 25 again)

If you don't like good seafood, learn!

You can usually score some good deals on used kits at the Shearwater show in Dartmouth and the CAMS show in Frederiction.

As far as other stores.

The Shearwater gift shop stocks kits. Usually at full MSRP, but the money goes to the museum. They used to be the king of belcherbits resin and accessories, but really haven't re-stocked in a while.

The Greenwood museum the same. New kits at full MSRP. They have a stock of used kits, some are priced reasonably, some not. Again money to the museum.

The Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum has a fairly decent collection of books and kits, lots of 2nd hand donated kits. This museum has a tax free excemption so no HST on anything. not sure about the other 2. These museum are small but the have a lot of neat stuff. banshee and Avenger at Shearwater. Lancaster _ Neptune at Greenwood (outside), a complete CF-104 (104783) at ACAM + a complete F-86 and CF-5 and a 75% or better CF-100.

The Windsor store is cute, I always find something unusual there.

I haven't been to Nautilis in years, although he is more scuba than models.

To buy new Elm City is your best bet. I know of the other store on HFX you speak of and his prices reflect that he thinks he's the only game in town.

[Charlie Cheetah]

nautilus actuall had a pretty decent supply of kits when Wayne and I dropped in last fall. I remember a lot of trumpeter kits and some Italeri and Tamiya also. Wasnt much there for aftermarket though.

[Emvar]

Then there are my favorite plastic pushers here at ARC like Dong and his henchmen from the Canadian Model Mafia and Ironman.

You Crack me up.... get it CRACK

Emil

[RiderFan]

Welcome to the Best Coast! My people originate from Lunenburg.

Nothing like sitting on the wharf next to the Bluenose, drinking a Keiths and watching the sunrise. (God i wish I was 25 again)

The Bluenose II doesn't exist anymore. Other than the main mast, the whole schooner went through the wood chipper just before Christmas. There are plans to rebuild a new one (Bluenose III), but they're not even following the real drawings. They're making a bunch of changes to the hull and deck to accommodate tourism. The only part of the Bluenose II that will be original, will be the mast. The family of the original designer, who currently owns the drawings, offered to make them available for the new build, but the province declined saying that the orginal schooner design isn't what they want to build...so now that family is trying to block the province from using the name. What a mess.

Shame, I don't know how that happened without a huge uproar from Canadian media, but almost nobody in the country knows that happened.

Edited January 28, 2011 by RiderFan

[Charlie Cheetah]

Wow, I had no idea it was that complicated. Maybe if enough people make enough noise, the goverment will have to bow down to public pressure, and build her the way she was intended. Of course the Bluenose 2 was a departure from the original, to make way for the tourism industry.

I have the Model Shipways 1/65 scale wooden kit in the stash. Im gonna have to start working on it some time soon.

Bluenose refit webcam

Edited January 28, 2011 by Charlie Cheetah

[RiderFan]

Hurray!!

So all my stuff is finally here and I spent most of the night getting my workshop in order. Most everything is in boxes but I unpacked some of the basics. Amazingly, all my paints survived 30 days of sub zero temps. My washes froze solid and I'm hoping they should still be okay once thawed out. Nobody out here stocks Pro Modeller washes. Even my bottle of Future had frozen to a brick but at least that's easily(ish) replaced.

The only thing that didn't make it was the work table. What I received was basically kindling. Shame I don’t have a wood stove. Well, staples has some cheap fold out plastic tables that will work for the time being.

So anyway, I figure by the weekend I should be building something again….now I just have to figure out what that ‘something’ is going to be for this build. Some of the candidates are;

• 1:12 CF-104 Cockpit. A reworking of the F-104G cockpit with scratch built seat and replacement of IP.
  
• 1:48 CF-104 BMF
  
• 1:32 CF-104 BMF - I have one of these in the works already that wouldn’t qualify for the build (started before the build start date). Although I’m very happy with how it’s turning out.
  
• 1:32 CT-113 in NAVY markings.
  
• 1:32 F-86 in three tone camo
  
• 1:32 CF-101 Voodoo. The Combat Models vacuform “kitâ€. This is for all intents and purposes, a scratch build.
  
• 1:32 CF-105 Arrow scratch build.
  
• 1:32 CF-18 Gulf War markings.
  

I just don’t know what I’m going to start with.

Meh.. who am I kidding, I’ll probably start them all…

[EX_Birdgunner]

Besides purchasing what I can from the vendors at the hobby shows, I tend to do much online shopping from Elm City Hobbies in Fredericton who carry a good variety of kits, accesories, paints and scratchbuilding supplies.

Where were these guys while I was posted to Gagetown? Seriously, nice to see F'ton have a good hobby shop. I may even order from there since they are a domestic source, plus I would be encouraging thier business. Who knows I might be posted back there one day.

Riderfan, glad to hear that you are getting your things unpacked. Being in the military I can sympathize with having to pack and move model stuff.

Good luck with your builds.

Denis

[RiderFan]

Where were these guys while I was posted to Gagetown? Seriously, nice to see F'ton have a good hobby shop. I may even order from there since they are a domestic source, plus I would be encouraging thier business. Who knows I might be posted back there one day.

Riderfan, glad to hear that you are getting your things unpacked. Being in the military I can sympathize with having to pack and move model stuff.

Good luck with your builds.

Denis

I grew up with miltary parents. Both my parents were in the RCAF/CAF and then I spent 10 years in the Navy. I've probably done over 40 major moves in my life. I joke to people that I went to more highschools than most kids my age went to classes. Packing and unpacking is serious PITA but it's even harder if you have any form of hobby. None of my RC aircraft made the trip this time.

Edited February 9, 2011 by RiderFan